It is known to use agricultural fencing for a wide range of purposes, for example to contain livestock, for defining land boundaries and for fencing off waterways.
A common type of agricultural fence is post and wire fencing. Such fences are built in sections whereby the farmer marks out the desired line of the fence and then places wooden strainer posts at each corner of the fence line. The strainer posts are larger, longer and heavier than other posts and have to stay in place when the fence wires are tightened or “strained”. Strainer posts are usually supported by stays, which are wooden posts that lean on an angle against the strainer post, in each direction that the fence line runs. This arrangement prevents the strainer post from being pulled over when the lines are tightened. Intermediate straining posts are also inserted into the ground between the corner posts. These are generally smaller that the strainer posts and are spaced at regular 2.5 to 3 meter intervals. It is usual for four to six strands of wire to be used in the fence. The wires are attached to the intermediate posts so as to prevent the escape of livestock. Attachment of the wire to the intermediate posts is by means of fencing staples. Fencing staples are U-shaped nails, with a barbed structure at each end. The barb has the appearance of an arrow head facing backwards from the direction of insertion of the staple. The barb digs into the post and as a result makes it harder to remove from the post by adding to the drag of the staple. When the staple is inserted into the post properly, the full length of the staple leg is inserted into the post. A large number of the fencing staples are required to adequately secure all of the fence wires to each post and batten.
It is often necessary to remove fence posts from the fence wire/wires and/or the fence as a whole. One reason for doing this is if the fence posts become damaged, e.g. through general wear over time, or if they become damaged as a result of contact with cattle. It may also be necessary to remove the wire(s) need to be removed or replaced or to replace the fence itself.
More often than not, all of the intermediate posts will be replaced at the same time to ensure that the fence posts are all of the same age and quality.
Since a large number of staples and wires are provided it follows that the removal of existing staples from the wire and intermediate posts of a fence can be a substantial undertaking, both in time and effort. Therefore it can be an extremely time consuming and fiddly process.
It is known to use fencing pliers to remove staples and/or wires from fence posts and battens. These pliers have jaws which pinch into the top of the staple in a vice like manner, after which the staple is levered out, utilising the curved nature of the head of the pliers, thus freeing the wire from the fence post.
However a disadvantage associated with the use of fencing pliers is that they often end up breaking the top of the staple, after which the broken parts of the staple have to be removed with conventional pliers. Furthermore, many staples are hammered well into the surface of the post, and in such instances not enough of the staple is protruding to allow the jaws of the fencing pliers to grip the staple. Moreover, the use of fencing pliers for staple removal can be a fiddly, awkward, and time-consuming operation, and especially so when removing staples/wires from fence battens, which are prone to moving about during the operation of removing the staple.
Another tool which is sometimes used for removing staples/wires from fence posts is a claw hammer. The claw of the hammer is forced behind the wire or the staple and the staple is subsequently levered out of the post (similar to how a claw hammer levers out a nail). However, it is sometimes difficult to force the claw of the hammer behind the wire of the staple. Furthermore, a claw hammer is ineffective in situations where the wire is loosely broken. Moreover the use of a claw hammer is ineffective in situations where the wire is loose or broken. Moreover, the use of a claw hammer for staple/wire removal can be a fiddly, awkward, and time-consuming operation, and especially so when removing staples/wires from fence battens, which are prone to moving about during the operation of removing the staple/wire.
A staple remover as shown in FIG. 1 is known in New Zealand that uses at least two claws for holding onto the wire each side of a staple, where each of the claws includes a slot in which the wire is located and/or retained. A leverage portion is provided to abut a front surface of the fence post. A wire gripping means is rotatable about a pivot point using a lever. Initial actuation of the lever causes the wire gripping means to rotate about the pivot point and grip the wire within each slot of the claws. Secondary activation of the lever causes the staple remover to pivot about the leverage portion, thereby leveraging the staple and wire from the fence post. However, the known staple remover can only pull out staples of a certain size for example small staples under 15 mm long which are generally applied to square posts, commonly used in New Zealand. In the UK however, posts are not necessarily square and instead they may be round or half round. This requires the use of staples that are longer in length and generally larger than the staples used in New Zealand. Further the staples used in the UK have the barbed end mentioned above and the full length of the staple leg is inserted into the post. The UK staples therefore require substantially more force to remove compared to the standard staples in New Zealand.
The known staple remover is inefficient at successfully removing the long, barb ended staples in one piece. This is because more of a leverage force is required on the handle and this in turn provides more force on the wire when it comes into contact with the internal end of the claw portions. As a consequence at the claw regions, the known staple remover bends the wire at two spaced apart points causing a z-shaped bend of the wire. As a result the wire is cut at the contact points and the tool loses its ability to remove the staple by means of the wire. Also, the known staple remover can only be applied to square posts and to remove staples above 200 mm from ground level. Any staples located lower than 200 mm above ground level cannot be removed using the known staple remover due to the orientation of the handle. Further when the tool is used to pull out staples larger than 15 mm long, the claws of the tool bend inwards and are unusable again and unrepairable without great effort. Therefore, in summary, the staple remover as shown in FIG. 1 cannot withstand the required level of force to pull the larger UK staple out of a fence post without causing damage to the known staple remover or the wire.
The present invention is derived from the realisation that there exists the need to provide a more versatile staple remover with the ability to remove staples located in posts by positioning the wire tightly between the claws without cutting or damaging the wire. In particular the staple remover of the invention can remove larger staples having barbed ends faster and easier whilst using less physical force of the user to remove the staple in the process. It also provides a staple remover that can be applied to fences where the wire is positioned further away from the post or where the staple and wire is located close to ground level.
Therefore, the present invention and its embodiments addresses the above described problems and desires.